Oklahoma State at No. 6 Oklahoma

When: 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Norman

Records: Oklahoma (8-1, 5-1 Big 12); Oklahoma State (5-4, 2-4 Big 12)

Last meeting: Oklahoma beat Oklahoma State 62-52 in Stillwater in 2017

TV: ABC

What’s on the line

The Sooners are still fighting for a spot in the Big 12 title game and in the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma’s loss to Texas is a stain, but at No. 6 in the polls, it’s not impossible for it to get into the top four. The next step in that goal? A convincing win over Oklahoma State. Style points matter in November, and a Bedlam beatdown could get the committee’s attention in a game that otherwise doesn’t catch the eye.

The Cowboys are looking to avoid missing a bowl game for the first time since Mike Gundy’s first season in 2005. OSU currently sits at 5-4 with games against OU, West Virginia and TCU still to play. A win over the Sooners would seal their fate, while a loss pushes them into a possible winner-goes-bowling matchup with the Horned Frogs on Thanksgiving weekend.

When Oklahoma has the ball

The Sooners have a chance to score 50+ for the fourth straight game on Saturday. Oklahoma State’s defense doesn’t appear equipped to stop Lincoln Riley’s attack, so it could be a long day in Norman for the Cowboys. Kyler Murray is leading the country in passing efficiency and is on pace to break Baker Mayfield’s single-season record in that metric. Trey Sermon is playing the best he ever has for the Sooners, and Kennedy Brooks will also be there for a 1-2 punch in the backfield.

OSU does have an impressive pass rush, led by linebacker Jordan Brailford. he has a healthy lead for most sacks in the Big 12 with nine, and will be a chore for OU’s offensive line. But overall, this is a matchup of S&P+’s No. 1 offense and its No. 67 defense -- the Sooners should be fine.

When Oklahoma State has the ball

The OU defense reverted to form last week in Lubbock, yielding over 450 yards to a team that didn’t have its starting quarterback in the second half. The Sooners struggled to contain the Alan Bowman before he was forced to leave the game, and there’s no telling how the game would have finished if he was healthy. That should be a scary thought for OU fans as the Sooners creep toward a matchup vs Will Grier and West Virginia. For now, things should be OK -- Taylor Cornelius isn’t Mason Rudolph.

Cornelius already had his legacy game earlier this year, a dramatic win over Texas in which he largely dominated the vaunted Longhorns defense. But he, and OSU as a whole, has been a vastly different team on the road. OSU still has offensive weapons like Tylan Wallace and Justice Hill to give OU headaches. Wallace especially could be a problem, as he fits the tall receiver archetype that has given OU fits this year. Hill is OSU’s best player, but the Sooners have shown the ability to stop the run consistently since the Army game.

Prediction

Oklahoma State is going to score -- its scheme is too good and Wallace will be a matchup problem vs OU’s undersized secondary. But in Norman, the Cowboys won’t have enough juice to keep up.